THE son of a Welsh mother, from Holywell, and an Army officer father, Brigadier Cholerton was born in Germany in 1956.

Accepting a cadet officer's scholarship in 1975, he went on to read Economics at Nottingham University. After graduation, he served with the 1st Battalion The Royal Regiment of Wales (RRW) in several countries including Northern Ireland, Germany, and in the Far East. He also served with the SAS.

Later in his career, after attending the German Armed Forces Staff College in Hamburg, he became military assistant to the commander of United Nations operations in Bosnia. He also worked at Army Staff College. From September 1997 until January 2000, he commanded the 1st Battalion RRW. During that time the regiment carried out public duties at Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle and the Tower of London. It also went on six-month tours to Bosnia and Northern Ireland.

Before his current posting, he attended a strategic studies course at London's Royal College of Defence Studies and prior to that served three years on the Ministry of Defence's intelligence staff.